5. Challenges of Sustainable Energy and Transport Flashcards
How much growth has there been in the global use of energy over the past two centuries?
50 fold (50x)
At around what time did fossil fuels become dominant?
c. 1950
What tools can engineers use to monitor and model environmental impacts of fuels?
LCA tools - life cycle analysis
What does EROEI stand for?
Energy return on energy invested
What is the problem with current energy storage methods?
Expensive and limited
What are the concerns about nuclear power, an otherwise attractive source of electricity?
Questions over its long-term safety and cost-effectiveness
When did transportation systems based on coal develop?
19th century
When did oil replace coal as the principal fuel?
20th century - this led to rapid expansion of road, sea, and air transportation
Technical developments in both vehicle systems and infrastructure have been important, most notably, what?
The shipping container
What percentage of global CO2 emission is transportation responsible for?
22% - this is dominated by road transport and use of oil
Relatively, what impact per passenger mile do road, rail and air transport have?
Similar impacts
What has the best emissions for freight transport?
Rail and maritime transport
What is important in determining level of impact per passenger mile?
Load factor
What are the main logistics arrangements?
Hub-and-spoke, and point-to-point
